Auckland Unitary Plan to be notified 30 September 2013

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27 Sep 2013 — By LawNews

ADLS’s Environment and Resource Management Committee has been monitoring the progress and development of the Auckland Council’s proposed Unitary Plan for Auckland. The Governing Body of Auckland Council recently approved the Unitary Plan for notification, which according to its website will occur on 30 September 2013.

The Unitary Plan will eventually replace all of the existing district and regional plans of the legacy councils that were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council, with the exception of the Auckland Council District Plan: Hauraki Gulf Islands Section.

The Unitary Plan has been the subject of extensive public engagement since release of a draft Unitary Plan in March 2013 this year, and the Council says that the notified plan will include amendments to the planning maps, as well as the provisions of the Unitary Plan itself, to reflect the outcome of that engagement.

Once the Unitary Plan is notified, it will follow the process set out in the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Amendment Act 2013, which commenced on 4 September 2013. The process is substantially identical to that described in a previous article “Auckland combined plan – what are the implications of the streamlined hearing process?” (Law News, Issue 1, 15th February 2013).

There will undoubtedly be a high level of interest in the proposed Unitary Plan as it will affect business, stakeholders and individuals throughout Auckland. The importance of formal submissions at this stage of the process is amplified by the fact that there are only limited appeal rights against the decision of the Hearings Panel on submissions.

The Auckland Council’s website states that submissions on the Unitary Plan will be open until 28 February 2014. The Unitary Plan will be available electronically at www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/unitaryplan, and in hard copy at public libraries in the region.

A seminar on Auckland’s Changing Planning Landscape will be held on Tuesday 22nd October 2013 for which you will be able to record 2 CPD hours. Please see CPD calendar here for full details.

This article was prepared by Daniel Sadlier on behalf of ADLS’s Environment and Resource Management Law Committee